Industrial safety systems and/or methods for creating and passively detecting changes in electrical fields

Abstract

A detection system has an interface including a substrate supporting a conductive coating. Electrodes are provided to the substrate. A multiplexer provides current to the electrodes. A demultiplexer receives voltages from electrodes and provides corresponding signals to a controller. The controller receives these signals and determines therefrom an operation performed in connection with the interface by applying an algorithmic approach. Static interaction is recognizable, and machine learning can be used for gesture recognition and/or identification of other interaction types. The technology can be used in a broad array of applications, e.g., where it is desirable to sense interactions with a defined region such as, for example, in the case of touches, gestures, hovers, and/or the like.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An industrial safety system for guarding a defined area, the system comprising:
 an electrically-conductive surface; 
 a plurality of field-defining electrodes electrically connected to the electrically-conductive surface, the surface and the electrodes cooperating to create an electrical field in relation to the defined area, the created electrical field functioning as a passive sensor for the defined area; and 
 a controller operably coupled to a memory, the memory having stored therein a plurality of defined templates corresponding to respective industrial safety system safety events related to the defined area, the templates having corresponding actions defined therefor, the controller being configured to perform program logic to perform operations comprising: 
 monitoring for changes with the electrical field based on data derived from output from at least some of the electrodes, the derived data being indicative of an interaction with the defined area, the interaction having characteristics including three-dimensional spatial and timing characteristics; 
 determining whether the interaction matches one of the defined templates without relying on a multi-dimensional electrical field reconstruction; and 
 responsive to a determination that the interaction matches one of the defined templates, selectively triggering the corresponding action based on one or more of the characteristics of the interaction. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the electrically-conductive surface is a mat, film, or tape. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the electrically-conductive surface includes a sprayed-on conductive material; a thin film coating; an applied conductive tape; and/or conductive particles laminated, molded, or embedded therein. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the field-defining electrodes are configured as wire leads provided around at least a part of a periphery of the defined area. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the defined templates are structured to distinguish between different detectable disturbances to the electrical field, and
 wherein the detectable disturbances include a human or object passing by the defined area, coming within one or more predefined threshold distances of the defined area, and/or entering into the defined area. 
 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 5 , wherein the object is a contaminant that will affect the electrical field. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 5 , wherein the object is a machine. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 5 , wherein the detectable disturbances further include electromagnetic field disrupters. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the actions are selected from a set of programmable actions, including activating a light, sign, and/or siren; slowing down an object or equipment; shutting down an object or equipment; de-energizing an object or equipment; sending a phone, SMS, email or other electronically-mediated message or alert; and causing an object or equipment to move relative to the defined area such that the object or equipment moves into or out of the defined area or to a designated location. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to perform further operations comprising:
 determining whether multiple interactions with the defined area are occurring in close and/or overlapping temporal proximity to one another; 
 determining whether each of these multiple interactions match one of the defined templates without reconstructing the entire electrical field; and 
 responsive to a determination that more than one of the multiple interaction match one of the defined templates, selectively triggering the corresponding actions based on one or more of the characteristics of the interaction. 
 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the templates have different severity levels assigned thereto and the actions are triggered in accordance with the different respective severity levels. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 1 , wherein possible characteristics of the interaction used in selectively triggering the corresponding action include proximity, location, trajectory, and speed related to the interaction. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the area is definable in X, Y, and/or Z dimensions, with or without a rectilinear or regular shape. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 1 , being provided with a glass, plastic, wire, or other barrier. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the defined area takes the place of at least a bottom, side, lower, and/or upper portion of a glass, plastic, wire, or other barrier. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the defined area includes: a portion of a machine, a prohibited space, a defined path, and/or a control or operator area. 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the defined area includes an interior and/or exterior to a control or operator area; and
 wherein at least one of the templates determines whether a human is present and/or alert in the control or operator area, and the corresponding action deactivates machinery if the human is not present and/or alert. 
 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the electrically-conductive surface is provided on a first plane, and at least one of the field-defining electrodes is provided on a plane other than the first plane. 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the templates are machine-learned while the industrial safety system is guarding the defined area. 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 19 , wherein the defined area is on a mobile machine. 
     
     
       21. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the electrically-conductive surface is a skin of a machine. 
     
     
       22. The system of  claim 21 , wherein the detection system is operably coupled to a control system of the machine. 
     
     
       23. The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the detection system events relate to an unplanned and/or unexpected disturbance to the electrical field caused by a perturbation emanating from a human, other machinery, a structure, a recognizable electronic signal, pest, or debris. 
     
     
       24. The system of  claim 23 , wherein the recognizable electronic signal emanates from a placed marker. 
     
     
       25. The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the events relate to an identification of stored energy. 
     
     
       26. The system of  claim 1 , being provided in duplicate for redundant detection of the same events. 
     
     
       27. An industrial safety system for guarding a defined area, the system comprising:
 an electrically-conductive surface; 
 a plurality of field-defining electrodes electrically connected to the electrically-conductive surface, the surface and the electrodes cooperating to create an electrical field in relation to the defined area, the created electrical field functioning as a passive sensor for the defined area; and 
 a controller operably coupled to a memory, the memory having stored therein a plurality of defined templates corresponding to respective industrial safety system safety events related to the defined area, the templates having corresponding actions defined therefor, the controller being configured to perform program logic to perform operations comprising: 
 monitoring for changes with the electrical field based on data derived from output from at least some of the electrodes, the derived data being indicative of an interaction with the defined area, the interaction having characteristics including three-dimensional spatial and timing characteristics; 
 determining whether the interaction matches one of the defined templates without reconstructing the entire electrical field; and 
 responsive to a determination that the interaction matches one of the defined templates, selectively triggering the corresponding action based on one or more of the characteristics of the interaction, 
 wherein the interaction is detected by performing operations including: 
 for each electrode disposed horizontally along the electrically conductive region, applying a current thereto and measuring a voltage drop at an opposing electrode so that current is applied and measured with respect to different vertically-opposed electrode pairs; 
 determining a first electrode pair from the different vertically-opposed electrode pairs that is associated with the largest voltage drop in the vertical direction; 
 for each electrode disposed vertically along the electrically conductive region, applying a current thereto and measuring a voltage drop at an opposing electrode so that current is applied and measured with respect to different horizontally-opposed electrode pairs; 
 determining a second electrode pair from the different horizontally-opposed electrode pairs that is associated with the largest voltage drop in the horizontal direction; 
 defining a sub-region based on at least the first electrode pair and the second electrode pair; 
 calculating a horizontal position of the interaction from within the defined sub-region based on a horizontal distance from a vertical equilibrium path using characterized horizontal reference voltage values, wherein for the vertical equilibrium path, horizontal reference voltage values are characterized for areas between the vertical equilibrium path and electrodes disposed vertically along the electrically conductive region; and 
 calculating a vertical position of the interaction from within the defined sub-region based on a vertical distance from the horizontal equilibrium path using characterized vertical reference voltage values, wherein for the horizontal equilibrium path, vertical reference voltage values are characterized for areas between the horizontal equilibrium path and electrodes disposed horizontally along the electrically conductive region. 
 
     
     
       28. The system of  claim 27 , wherein:
 the horizontal and vertical equilibrium paths are non-linear, and 
 wherein the horizontal and vertical equilibrium paths are defined to cross at a center of gravity of electrical fields generated by provided current to different electrode pairs. 
 
     
     
       29. The system of  claim 27 , further comprising:
 a multiplexer controllable to provide current to the electrodes; 
 an adjustable current regulator circuit (ACRC) connected to the controller and the multiplexer, the ACRC being configured to control the amperage of the current that the multiplexer is controllable to provide to the electrodes, the ACRC being operable in at least a first mode in which the ACRC dynamically adjusts the amperage of the current such that the amperage is increased until current leakage between multiplexer channels exceeds a threshold level and then is reduced such that the current leakage between multiplexer channels is less than the threshold level; and 
 a demultiplexer configured to receive voltages from electrodes and provide corresponding signals to the controller. 
 
     
     
       30. A method of guarding a defined area using an industrial safety system, the system comprising an electrically-conductive surface and a plurality of field-defining electrodes electrically connected to the electrically-conductive surface the method comprising:
 using the surface and the electrodes to create an electrical field in relation to the defined area, the created electrical field functioning as a passive sensor for the defined area; 
 monitoring for changes with the electrical field based on data derived from output from at least some of the electrodes, the derived data being indicative of an interaction with the defined area, the interaction having characteristics including three-dimensional spatial and timing characteristics; 
 determining whether the interaction matches one of a plurality of defined templates without relying on a multi-dimensional electrical field reconstruction, the defined templates corresponding to respective industrial safety system safety events related to the defined area, the templates having corresponding actions defined therefor; and 
 responsive to a determination that the interaction matches one of the defined templates, selectively triggering the corresponding action based on one or more of the characteristics of the interaction.